Coupling assembly for vehicles

ABSTRACT

Coupling assembly ( 1 ) for vehicles, comprising a vehicle, the coupling assembly ( 1 ) comprising a first coupling member ( 20 ) provided with a connection member for a car trailer or an accessory, such as a bike rack, and a second coupling member ( 5 ) with which the first coupling member can be couple to connect it to the vehicle, the vehicle comprising a chassis ( 100 ) having a transverse beam ( 4 ) situated at the rear side of the vehicle, the second coupling member ( 5 ) being permanently or undetachably attached in the transverse beam ( 4 ).

The invention relates to a coupling assembly for vehicles, such as for atow hitch facility.

Coupling assemblies for vehicles have been generally known and for quitesome time already. Usually the coupling assemblies are adjusted to usefor towing car trailers, by means of a tow hitch. Such assemblies usedto be permanent, but later on two-part tow hitch assemblies were broughtonto the market consisting of an accommodation part that was permanentlyattached to the vehicle and a detachable tow hitch member, that could becoupled into the accommodation part for use, and after use could beuncoupled in order to be stowed away. In that way the tow hitch, wheninoperative, does not constitute an obstacle to persons passing thevehicle at the rear. Moreover it is not allowed that the hitch ballfully or partially covers the license plate.

An example of such a tow hitch assembly is described in European patentapplication 0.950.549 the contents of which should be deemed includedhere.

In the existing tow hitch assemblies that can be uncoupled, theaccommodation part is attached to the new or old vehicle by means of atransverse beam, which extends at the front below the rear bumper and atthe ends and at intermediate locations is attached to the rear side ofthe chassis of the vehicle.

The existing tow hitch assemblies—that may or may not beuncoupable—increase the standard weight of the vehicle, particularly asa result of transverse beam. The transverse beam hanging behind thechassis may form a protruding hindrance when the rear side of thevehicle passes over the ground.

Another drawback of the existing tow hitch assemblies is that theyrequire a lot of mounting operations, which particularly renders thefitting of a tow hitch assembly at a later stage, expensive.

It is an objective of the invention to improve on this.

From one aspect the invention to that end provides an assembly of avehicle and a coupling assembly for it, the coupling assembly comprisinga first coupling member provided with a connection member for a cartrailer or an accessory, such as a bike rack, and a second couplingmember with which the first coupling member can be coupled to connect itto the vehicle, the vehicle comprising a chassis having a transversebeam situated at the rear side of the vehicle, the second couplingmember being permanently or undetachably attached to the transversebeam.

Due to the integration of the permanently vehicle-fixed second couplingmember with the supporting structure of the vehicle, particularly thechassis transverse beam, the usual additional transverse beam formounting the tow hitch assembly can be dispensed with. This results in aweight reduction. The second coupling member can easily (easilyaccessible, because of at the building stage of the vehicle) andserially be secured. The vehicle is as it were “tow hitch prepped”, theconsumer can then buy the desired accessory, such as a hitch ball, at amoment that suits him or her. Particular mounting activities are nolonger necessary then. Due to the early integration of the secondcoupling member, the strength of the chassis transverse beam can beutilised—possibly after adjusted design—for the transfer of forcesduring use.

The quantity of the stock to be kept by the dealer can be kept limited,as only one part of the coupling assembly has to be kept available.

Preferably the second coupling member is welded fixed to the transversebeam.

Preferably the second coupling member is placed in the transverse beam,as a result of which the occupation of space can be kept very limited.

Preferably the transverse beam is tubular having a first wall and anopposite second wall, the second coupling member being permanently orundetachably attached, such as by means of welding, to the first walland/or to the second wall. In case of attachment to both walls theforces during use can be transferred to the chassis beam at two—incross-section—spaced apart locations.

The first wall and the second wall of the tubular transverse beam mayform an upper wall and a lower wall, respectively, of the transversebeam.

Advantageously the second coupling member is provided with a placementflange, as a result of which the mounting of the second coupling memberis facilitated. If the second coupling member is a steel casting theflange shortens the decarbonization path after casting the secondcoupling member, which decarbonization is necessary in order to renderthe material fit for welding.

The second coupling member may furthermore be provided with an eye for ahauling or towing cable, by which means several facilities may be placedin one go: separately arranging a towing eye is no longer necessary.Moreover use can be made of the strength of the location of transfer offorces for the hitch ball and the like on the chassis.

In the tubular design of the transverse beam a third wall connecting thefirst and second wall of the transverse beam can be provided with anopening for access to the eye, the eye preferably extending at leastpartially through the opening to the outside. Here as well space can besaved on.

The second coupling member preferably is furthermore provided with oneor more means for attachment of a safety cable, so that they have beenpresent ever since the production of the vehicle.

Preferably the first coupling member can be detachably coupled to thesecond coupling member, so that it is possible to change the firstcoupling member.

Preferably the first coupling member is dividable into a first part thatcan be coupled to the second coupling member and a second part that canbe connected to an operation member, such as a hitch ball. Thus thecoupling assembly becomes more versatile, and the user is able to choosethe wanted function by only selecting a small part of the assembly.

In a further development thereof, the second part is plate-shaped andprovided with holes for bolts for attachment of the operation member. Asa result many different selected operation members provided with anattachment plate can be used, and attached at a desired height.

In an alternative further development the second part defines anaccommodation sleeve for accommodation of an insertion member of theoperation member. As a result many different selected operation membersprovided with an attachment rod can be used, and attached at a desiredheight.

The second coupling member can be made of steel, particularly metal, andobtained by injection moulding. In this way the wanted shape can easilybe achieved, with the desired strength.

In a further development the first coupling member may comprise aninsertion member and the second coupling member comprises anaccommodation member, in which the insertion member can be coupled inthe accommodation member. In this way a stable coupling can be realised.

The invention furthermore provides a coupling assembly suitable andintended for an assembly according to the invention.

From a further aspect the invention provides a vehicle having a chassis,the chassis being provided with a coupling member that is permanentlyfixed and undetachably connected to it, for detachable coupling to afurther coupling member for a connection member for an accessory, suchas a car trailer or bike rack, to be taken along by the vehicle, such asby towing or carrying.

Preferably the chassis comprises a transverse beam situated at the rear,the coupling member being fixedly attached, preferably welded fixed, tothe transverse beam. The coupling member may be welded fixed to thetransverse beam using a placement flange that forms a unity therewith.

Preferably the transverse beam is tubular and the coupling memberextends into the transverse beam. The transverse beam may be polygonalin cross-section, the coupling member being permanently or undetachablyattached to at least two of the sides of the polygon.

From a further aspect the invention provides a coupling member suitableand intended for a coupling assembly or vehicle according to theinvention.

From a further aspect the application provides an assembly of a vehicleand a coupling assembly for it, the coupling assembly being providedwith an eye for a hauling or towing cable. In that way it is possible tosimultaneously in one go, together with the attachment of the couplingassembly, particularly with a tow hitch, provide such an eye on avehicle.

Further efficiency is achieved when the coupling assembly is furthermoreprovided with one or more means for attaching a safety cable.

Preferably the coupling assembly comprises a first coupling memberprovided with a connection part for a car trailer or an accessory, suchas a bike rack, and a second coupling member with which the firstcoupling member can be coupled in order to connect it to the vehicle,the eye and/or means for attaching a safety cable forming a unity withthe second coupling member.

Transfer of forces onto the eye and the like is enhanced when thevehicle comprises a chassis having a transverse beam situated at therear side of the vehicle, the second coupling member being permanentlyor undetachably connected to the transverse beam.

The application furthermore relates to a coupling assembly for vehicles,provided with one or more measures as described above, particularly theeye for a hauling cable.

The invention will be elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodimentshown in the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic inclined view of the rear side of a chassis ofan automobile, in which a coupling assembly according to the inventionhas been incorporated;

FIG. 1A shows a detail of a coupling assembly substantially as shown inFIG. 1, with uncoupled operation member;

FIG. 1B shows a straight rear view of the arrangement of FIG. 1

FIG. 2 shows a view in perspective of the permanent coupling member ofthe coupling assembly of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a first embodiment of an operation member for acoupling assembly according to the invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a second example of an operation member for acoupling assembly according to the invention; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B show (a part of) another operation member for a couplingassembly according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a chassis 100 of a vehicle, chassis 100 comprisinglongitudinal beams 101 and a centrally situated transverse beam 4. Thetransverse beam 4 is made of steel and has a tubular profile havinginner space 3.

At the chassis transverse beam 4 a preferred embodiment of a couplingassembly 1 according to the invention has been attached. The couplingassembly 1 consist of an accommodation member 5, which is permanentlyattached to the chassis transverse beam 4 and which is made of caststeel, and, by way of example, an operation member 20 that can bedetachably coupled in said accommodation member.

As can be seen in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, the accommodation member 5 ishollow, having a tubular portion 8 and below it an accommodation space 6in which the coupling end of an operation member that is not shown inthese figures can be inserted. The accommodation member 5 is formed asone unity with a towing eye 11, having a continuous opening 12 forattaching a towing cable or the like.

The accommodation space 6 has accommodation slits 6 b in two oppositewalls, which accommodation slits 6 b end blindly at the location of 6 a.Said grooves are intended for the fitting accommodation of an insertionmember of the operation member, as can also be seen in European patent950.549.

At the location of upper edge 9 of the tubular portion 8, theaccommodation member 5 is welded fixed to upper wall 4 a of chassistransverse beam 4 by means of circumferential weld seam 10 a.

Around the accommodation part 6 the accommodation member 5 is providedwith a circumferential flange 7, which by means of circumferential weld10 b is welded fixed to lower wall 4 b of the chassis transverse beam 4.Instead of welding, depending on the materials used, glue can also beused in order to realise the wanted permanent, undetachable connection.

Note that the circumferential flange 7 in the FIGS. 1 and 1B is buckledat the rear side, in order to fit on the rear wall 4 c that is alsobuckled. In the rear wall 4 c the chassis transverse beam 4 has beenprovided with a broad recess 2 c, through which the towing eye canextend.

For inserting the coupling member 5 into the inner space 3, the couplingmember 5 is inserted from below into a suitably broad hole 2 b, thetubular portion 8 coming first, until the flange 7 abuts the lowersurface of the lower wall 4 b. The tubular portion 8 with upper edge 9then fittingly extends into the hole 2 a. Then the welds 10 a and 10 bare made. Despite the broad hole 2 a the flange 7 provides sufficientengagement with the wall 4 b.

It is also possible to use a two-part design of the chassis transversebeam 4, the lower wall 4 b belonging to a first, lower part and theupper wall 4 a belonging to an upper part to be placed and welded fixedthereon. The coupling member with the flange 7 is then first placedagainst the lower wall 4 b, the weld 10 b is made, and subsequently theupper part with upper wall 4 a is placed, the upper edge 9 of thetubular portion 8 fitting in hole 2 a. After that the circumferentialweld 10 a is made. At locations that are not further shown, both partsof the chassis transverse beam 4 are welded to each other, to form arigid unity.

Thus the coupling member 5 forms one rigid and strong unity with thechassis transverse beam 4. Forces of the coupling assembly, or a cableattached to a towing eye 11 are directly transferred to the chassistransverse beam 4 via the coupling member 5.

As is also shown in FIG. 2, the accommodation member 5, at a locationbelow the flange 7, is provided with eyes 13, for attachment of safetycables, with which for instance a car trailer can be secured, parallelto the coupling line.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B an operation member 20 is shown which is used a loton the European continent. The operation member 20 is a tow hitch memberhere, having an insertion end 21 that can be detachably coupled inaccommodation part 6 of coupling member 5. Use is made here of couplingpins 25 and 26, and operation knob 24. The tow hitch member 20furthermore has a ball 23, as is customary.

The tow hitch member 30 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, as regards theinsertion member and its operation, corresponds to the tow hitch memberof FIGS. 3A and 3B. The tow hitch member 30, however, is divided at thelocation of plate 35, which is provided with a number of series of holes37. The actual tow hitch part is provided with a plate 36 having twoholes 37, which depending on the desired height are aligned with theholes 37 in plate 36. In that position both members are secured to eachother by means of bolts 38. It is possible here to replace the tow hitchpart by another accessory, for instance an accessory for carrying a bikerack.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B a so-called American variety is shown, in which thetow hitch member 40 can also be divided, as shown in FIG. 5B. Theinsertion member 41 is first of all designed to be permanentlyaccommodated in accommodation member 5 of FIG. 1A, which coupling canhowever take place at a moment that suits the consumer. Alternativelythe member 40 can also be provided with uncoupling means.

In the mounted position, the member 40 has plates 42 extending forwardand downward in an inclined manner, at the lower end of which a tubesection 44 has been attached. The tube section 44 defines anaccommodation space 45 for an elongatedly formed tow hitch member 47,which is provided with a continuous hole 49 and with a hitch ball 48.The passage 49 comes in line with passage 46 in the tube member 44, sothat a locking pin (not shown) can be inserted into it to secure the towhitch member 47 to the member 41. By removal of the pin the tow hitchmember 47 can be removed again.

Because the chassis transverse beam 4 has already been provided in thefactory with an accommodation member 1 for an operation member (ofwhatever function) the consumer only needs to buy a part of the totalcoupling assembly and moreover specialised mounting operations can bedispensed with.

1. Assembly of a vehicle and a coupling assembly for it, the couplingassembly comprising a first coupling member provided with a connectionmember for a car trailer or an accessory, such as a bike rack, and asecond coupling member with which the first coupling member can becoupled to connect it to the vehicle, the vehicle comprising a chassishaving a transverse beam situated at the rear side of the vehicle, thesecond coupling member being permanently or undetachably attached to thetransverse beam.
 2. Coupling assembly according to claim 1, the secondcoupling member being welded fixed to the transverse beam.
 3. Couplingassembly according to claim 1 or 2, the second coupling member beingplaced in the transverse beam.
 4. Coupling assembly according to claim3, the transverse beam being tubular having a first wall and an oppositesecond wall, the second coupling member being permanently orundetachably attached, such as by means of welding, to the first wall.5. Coupling assembly according to claim 3 or 4, the transverse beambeing tubular having a first wall and an opposite second wall, thesecond coupling member being permanently or undetachably attached, suchas by means of welding, to the second wall.
 6. Coupling assemblyaccording to claim 4 or 5, the first wall and the second wall of thetubular transverse beam forming an upper wall and a lower wall,respectively, of the transverse beam.
 7. Assembly according to any oneof the preceding claims, the second coupling member furthermore beingprovided with an eye for a hauling or towing cable.
 8. Coupling assemblyaccording to claims 6 and 7, a third wall connecting the first andsecond wall of the transverse beam being provided with an opening foraccess to the eye, the eye preferably extending at least partiallythrough the opening to the outside.
 9. Assembly according to any one ofthe preceding claims, the second coupling member being provided with aplacement flange for abutment to the outside of the transverse beam, theflange being preferably at least almost circumferential.
 10. Assemblyaccording to any one of the preceding claims, the second coupling memberfurthermore being provided with one or more means for attachment of asafety cable.
 11. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims,in which the first coupling member can be detachably coupled to thesecond coupling member.
 12. Assembly according to any one of thepreceding claims, the first coupling member being dividable into a firstpart that can be coupled to the second coupling member and a second partthat can be connected to an operation member, such as a hitch ball. 13.Assembly according to claim 12, the second part being plate-shaped andprovided with holes for bolts for attachment of the operation member.14. Assembly according to claim 12, the second part defining anaccommodation sleeve for accommodation of an insertion member of theoperation member.
 15. Assembly according to any one of the precedingclaims, the second coupling member being made of steel, particularlymetal, and obtained by injection moulding.
 16. Assembly according to anyone of the preceding claims, the first coupling member comprising aninsertion member and the second coupling member comprising anaccommodation member, in which the insertion member can be coupled inthe accommodation member.
 17. Vehicle having a chassis, the chassisbeing provided with a coupling member that is permanently fixed andundetachably connected to it, for detachable coupling to a furthercoupling member for a connection member for an accessory, such as a cartrailer or bike rack, to be taken along by the vehicle, such as bytowing or carrying.
 18. Vehicle according to claim 17, the chassiscomprising a transverse beam situated at the rear, the coupling memberbeing fixedly attached to the transverse beam.
 19. Vehicle according toclaim 18, the coupling member being welded fixed to the transverse beam.20. Vehicle according to claim 18 or 19, the transverse beam beingtubular and the coupling member extending into the transverse beam. 21.Vehicle according to claim 20, the transverse beam being polygonal incross-section, the coupling member being permanently or undetachablyattached to at least two of the sides of the polygon.
 22. Vehicleaccording to claim 19, the coupling member being welded fixed to thetransverse beam, by means of a placement flange forming a unitytherewith.
 23. Vehicle according to any one of the claims 17-22, thecoupling member furthermore being provided with an eye for a hauling ortowing cable.
 24. Vehicle according to any one of the claims 17-22, thecoupling member furthermore being provided with one or more means forattaching a safety cable.
 25. Coupling member suitable and intended fora coupling assembly according to any one of the claims 1-16. 26.Coupling assembly suitable and intended for an assembly according to anyone of the claims 1-16.
 27. Coupling member suitable and intended for avehicle according to any one of the claims 17-24.
 28. Assembly of avehicle and a coupling assembly for it, the coupling assembly beingprovided with an eye for a hauling or towing cable.
 29. Assemblyaccording to claim 28, the coupling assembly furthermore being providedwith one or more means for attaching a safety cable.
 30. Assemblyaccording to claim 28 or 29, the coupling assembly comprising a towhitch.
 31. Assembly according to claim 28, 29 or 30, the couplingassembly comprising a first coupling member provided with a connectionmember for a car trailer or an accessory, such as a bike rack, and asecond coupling member with which the first coupling member can becoupled to connect it to the vehicle, the eye and/or the means forattaching a safety cable forming a unity with the second couplingmember.
 32. Assembly according to claim 31, the vehicle comprising achassis having a transverse beam situated at the rear side of thevehicle, the second coupling member being permanently or undetachablyattached to the transverse beam.
 33. Coupling assembly for vehicles,provided with one or more of the features as described in any one of theclaims 28-32.
 34. Coupling assembly provided with one or more of thecharacterising measures described in the attached description and/orshown in the attached drawings.
 35. Vehicle provided with one or more ofthe characterising measures described in the attached description and/orshown in the attached drawings.